“The Roman’s Road of National Depravity”
Romans 1:18-32
Your bulletins say that today we will be revisiting the “Biblically Functioning Church”
Yet, I have to ask you to suspend your anticipation of that message until next week, as this morning we are going to focus our attention in another direction.
As most of you know, I preach verse-by-verse through Scripture, and rarely do I engage specific issues and topics. I simply allow Scripture to guide our direction of learning.
Yet, as I examine history, I note that so many of the most notable pastors of history took to their pulpits at times of great cultural distress to remind their hearers of Scriptural truth when it was being rejected by society.
I am reminded of Augustine who stood against the heretical teachers of his day like Pelagius, and the Reformers who preached many of their messages in direct response to the heresies being perpetuated by the Roman Church.
Today, men like Albert Meholer and the late Dr. D. James Kennedy preach and teach about the problems facing the culture all around us, and what the Bible says about it.
We see this also in the Biblical presentation. The Prophets often dealt specifically with the national sins of Israel, and cried out for their repentance. The Apostles often did the same as well (In our study of Hebrews, we note that the entire book is based on the problem of Jews wanting to defect from Christ).
Even Jesus, in His great Sermon on the Mount dealt specifically with the problems and misunderstandings of the people of His day. He spoke to them saying, “You have heard it said...but I say to you…” By doing this, Jesus was addressing the specific problems facing His immediate audience, while at the same time laying a groundwork of theology for generations to come.
Now, I predicate this message with these things because I was struck this week by reading a legal decision in our land.
The ruling was on the subject of a disastrous oxymoron that has crept into our vernacular: “Homosexual Marriage”
Even though the people stood against this exercise of depravity in their votes, they have been overruled by a radical judiciary.
I believe this is pushing us further down what I call, “The Roman’s Road of National Depravity”.
We have what is called “The Romans Road to Salvation”, which is a group of passages used to lead a person to faith in Christ.
But also in Romans we find a section of Scripture that pictures for us what it looks like when God gives a people over to their inherent depravity.
My fear, beloved, is that what we are seeing in our nation is no less than this passage being fulfilled before our very eyes.
READ: Romans 1:18-32
COMMENTS FROM THE CALIFORNIA RULING, NOW LAW:
Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage; marriage under law is a union of equals.
Religious beliefs that gay and lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm gays and lesbians.
Children do not need to be raised by a male parent and a female parent to be well-adjusted, and having both a male and a female parent does not increase the likelihood that a child will be well-adjusted.
The gender of a child’s parent is not a factor in the child’s adjustment. The sexual orientation of an individual does not determine whether that individual can be a good parent.
"Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples."
QUOTE: Albert Mohler #1
“The question of homosexual marriage presents the American people with an inescapable moral challenge. The words homosexual and marriage are inherently contradictory. The very fact that these terms are in public conflict demonstrates the radical character of the social revolutionaries that now demand the legalization of homosexual marriage.
For at least the last one hundred years, America has experienced an unprecedented season of social transformation. Now, this transformation has been extended to experimentation with the most basic institutions and cherished principles of our common life. A conversation about "homosexual marriage" is only possible if the concept of marriage is completely redefined and severed from its historic roots and organic meaning.
Civilization requires the regulation of human sexuality and relationships. No society--ancient or modern--has survived by advocating a laissez faire approach to sex and sexual relationships. Every society, no matter how liberal, sanctions some sexual behaviors and proscribes others. Every society establishes some form of sexual norm.
Pitirim Sorokin, the founder of sociology at Harvard University, pointed to the regulation of sexuality as the essential first mark of civilization. According to Sorokin, civilization is possible only when marriage is normative and sexual conduct is censured outside of the marital relationship. Furthermore, Sorokin traced the rise and fall of civilizations and concluded that the weakening of marriage was a first sign of civilizational collapse.”
NOTE: I think Sorokin was more right than even he realized.
The very definition of a “civilizational collapse” in Biblical terms is when the lines of the very relationships of man and woman are blurred.
Looking at Romans 1, what we see is that it is the last of a series of things that happen when God gives a people over to their own sinful depravity.
EXPOSITION:
In Romans 1, from verse 18 all the way to the end of the chapter, Paul is showing the inevitable downward spiral of mankind's rebellion against God.
Three times in this short span of writing, Paul uses the phrase “God gave them up”
v.24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts...
v.26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions.
v.28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind
This is a result of the “wrath of God” which Paul spoke about in verse 18.
NOTE: There are various types of wrath that are displayed from Heaven.
There is the eternal wrath of Hell.
There is the wrath of consequence, which comes in people reaping what they sow.
There is also the wrath of abandonment.
This is when God chooses to “give someone up” to their own desires.
It is when God “releases” them to their passions.
And, as a result, their depraved desires get to take first place, and they go inevitably downward.
What is most interesting is that this is what mankind wants.
They want to be freed from the bonds of God.
They want to be allowed to go on to their natural desires.
They think that this will bring them satisfaction.
It is the very root of what we call “hedonism” - which is the desire to fulfill every lust of the flesh.
Someone may ask, “Well, is God wrong for doing this?”
Is God in some way responsible for their actions – since He is the one who has “given them up”?
What we must note is that, in God releasing them – He is not doing any injustice to them.
He is simply allowing them their desires.
He is giving them over to the lusts of their heart.
He is not MAKING them evil.
He is simply removing any gracious RESTRAINT.
QUOTE: Oscar Wilde “When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers”
Illustration: “Glass Vase in Space, On Earth” Many people think that, if God releases His restraint on someone, then they are just free. They imagine it like a glass vase being released in space. If you release a vase in space, it will just free-float. But this is not how it is. God's release of a person is like releasing a glass vase on earth. If you drop a glass vase on earth, with its gravitational pull, it will not simply float in space – it will fall and break.
Likewise with sinful man.
If God releases man to his passions, he will not simply float around.
He will go immediately down.
This is why from verses 18 on we see this decrescendo.
It begins in a denial of God, into forms of idolatry, then into sexual perversion and homosexuality.
This is what a society looks like when God has removed His gracious restraint.
SAD NOTE: It is not a far cry from what our nation looks like right now.
We can see God's removal of restraint in a society is when the very foundations of what make up that society are perverted.
When homosexual affections – which are unnatural and degrading abominations in God's sight – are not only tolerated, but are openly forced upon a society, it is a clear and present sign that God has turned that society over to a depraved mind.
Romans 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
NOTE #1: The use of language by Paul.
He uses the phrase “contrary to nature”
This is an obvious truth - Sex between people of the same sex is not natural.
Actions must be done that are outside of what is obviously intended when looking at the creation of the body.
He also used the phrase “shameless acts”
NOTE #2: The mention of the consequence.
He says that homosexuality leads to judgment within the body.
Evidence of this is seen obviously in the many diseases and physical complications associated with homosexuality.
The homosexual culture is a culture of death - it cannot produce life, and many of its adherence die early and unnatural deaths.
NOTE #3: He mentions both women and men who engage in homosexual acts.
This is important because (1) he is mentioning the fall of a people group, which is marked by rampant homosexuality being engaged in by both sexes, and (2) other passages only mention men, so this makes it clear that women are included as well.
NOTE: There are two other places in the NT where the act is spoken of specifically, and it is found in two lists of other known sins.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Timothy 1:10 “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”
NOTE: Some versions use the phrase “sodomites” here in these lists.
The 1901 ASV, the KJV, translate it as "abusers of themselves." The NASB and NKJV translate it as "homosexuals." The NIV as "homosexual offenders." The RSV as "sexual perverts."
The Greek word is Arsenokoites (ar-sen-ok-oy'-tace) and it means “one who lies with a male as with a female, sodomite, homosexual”. So, no matter how the english reads, the Greek is simple - it means homosexual.
TRANSITIONAL THOUGHT:
In the push to see Homosexual Marriage legalized, what we are seeing is not just the destruction of a pivotal social institution, what we are also seeing is the fulness of what it looks like when God allows the fulness of man’s total depravity to be put on display.
And, as we noted earlier, this danger is tearing at the very fabric of our nation.
QUOTE: Albert Mohler #2
“Marriage has already been weakened to the point of dire social peril. The acceptance of "no-fault" divorce laws, the ethic of sexual liberation, and even the rise of new reproductive technologies have weakened the foundation and superstructure of marriage to the point that this most basic molecule is hanging together by a thread. The redefinition of marriage in order to accommodate same-sex relationships would not mean the mere transformation of marriage--but its dissolution. The very concept of marriage cannot survive such a denial of its inherent meaning and historic structure.”
QUOTE: Albert Mohler #3
“This nation stands at a dramatic moment of decision. Our stewardship of this question--our decision on the question of same-sex marriage--will determine the future state of our society, the moral status of our culture, the health and well being of our children, and the inheritance we leave to the world. The choice before us is not between two visions of marriage--but between marriage and madness.”
So we ask: What can be done?
In every sermon, we seek application to follow our instruction.
So, you may ask, “Pastor, what can we do?”
To this, I will provide two answers:
(1) Pray for Your Nation
(2) Prepare Yourselves for What May Come
As to the first statement, I remind you of the Words of Paul:
1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
We have the responsibility to pray for our nation, and for its healing.
The people of Israel were given this promise in Scripture:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
And I believe that healing is possible for our land as well, if God’s people will humble themselves and seek His face.
NOTE: We have seen great revivals in the past.
The Protestant Reformation.
The Great Awakening.
But these lead me to my second point….
You need to be prepared for what may come.
During the Reformation we know that many people sacrificed everything for their commitment to Christ.
Some lost homes, social positions, land and possessions...and yes, some even lost their lives.
But they gave all in service to Christ, knowing they were standing for truth.
Beloved, are you ready to stand for truth?
NOTE: I often remind my wife that it may one day become illegal to do what I do, to stand and proclaim truth in our nation --- and we have to be prepared for that as a family.
Are you ready for all that may be required of you to stand for truth?
Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Are we ready for what may be required of us?
Are we ready to take the strong stands?
Are we ready to take up our cross and follow Him?
